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	~~{{Use dmy dates\|date=May 2016}}~~
	~~{{Use British English\|date=May 2016}}~~
	{{Infobox film		{{Infobox film
	\| name = Dear Mr. Prohack		\| name = Dear Mr. Prohack
	\| image = ~~"Dear_Mr._Prohack"_~~(1949).jpg		\| image = Dear Mr Prohack (1949).jpg
	\| image_size =		\| image_size =
	\| caption =		\| caption =
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	==External links==		==External links==
	*{{IMDb title\|0041285}}		*{{IMDb title\|0041285}}

	~~{{Thornton Freeland}}~~

	[[Category:1949 films]]		[[Category:1949 films]]

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{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2016}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Dear Mr. Prohack
| image = "Dear_Mr._Prohack"_(1949).jpg
| image_size =
| caption =
| director = [[Thornton Freeland]]
| writer = [[Donald Bull]] [[Ian Dalrymple]]
| based_on = the novel ''Mr. Prohack'' by [[Arnold Bennett]] and the play by [[Edward Knoblock]]
| producer = Ian Dalrymple
| starring = [[Cecil Parker]] [[Glynis Johns]] [[Hermione Baddeley]] [[Dirk Bogarde]] [[Sheila Sim]]
| narrator =
| cinematography = H.E. Fowle
| editing = Sidney Stone
| music = Temple Abady
| studio = Wessex Film Productions
| distributor = [[General Film Distributors]] (UK) [[Paramount Pictures]] (USA)
| released = 7 September 1949 (London, UK) 14 July 1950 (New York, USA)
| runtime = 91 minutes
| country = United Kingdom
| language = English
| budget =
| gross =
}}'''''Dear Mr. Prohack''''' is a 1949 British [[comedy film]] directed by [[Thornton Freeland]]. It is a modern-day version of [[Arnold Bennett]]'s 1922 novel, ''Mr Prohack'', as adapted in the play by [[Edward Knoblock]]. It stars [[Cecil Parker]], [[Glynis Johns]] and [[Dirk Bogarde]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6a892403 |title=Dear Mr. Prohack (1949) |publisher=Ftvdb.bfi.org.uk |date=16 April 2009 |accessdate=12 March 2014}}</ref>

==Plot==
Arthur Prohack, a [[HM Treasury|Treasury]] [[civil servant]] who is extremely frugal with the government's money, suddenly inherits £250,000 and is convinced to go on six months' [[sick leave]]. His children Charles and Mary tap him for money for an investment scheme and a theatrical production respectively, whilst his wife Eve buys the family a far larger house, which she fills with an aviary and then aquariums. Charles also buys his father a new car, which on its first drive is involved in an accident with Mimi Warburton. Initially frosty, he takes her on as his private secretary. Charles cancels a meeting with Arthur and arranges a board meeting without him - in vengeance Mimi arranges for Arthur 'accidentally' to take Charles' place at a meeting with Lady Maslam, Charles' patroness. Left behind at home, Charles and Mimi lunch together and fall in love, leading her to try to tender her resignation, as on first taking the job with Arthur she had agreed not to fall in love with Charles.

Arthur's friend Sir Paul Spinner arranges to invest some of Arthur's money, whilst Eve arranges an elaborate party to celebrate Mary's engagement to Oswald Morfrey, a sickly but forthright junior official at the [[Ministry of Agriculture (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Agriculture]]. However, breaking free of Mary's theatrical connections, the couple instead run away together and get married without their parents' knowledge - Arthur hunts them down but Oswald refuses his help. Soon afterwards Spinner informs Arthur that a run on the stock-market means all the money he invested may be lost. Mimi discovers that the investment scheme is also about to be ruined and argues with him at Lady Maslam's home, to which he had just gone to beg Lady Maslam's help.

Relieved he is about to be free of the troubles of his new fortune, Arthur retires to bed with a cold and has a [[fever]] [[dream]] inspired by [[Arthurian legend]]s on the [[BBC Third Programme]]. Mimi wakes him to tell him that Charles has broken up with her and is about to flee to Paris with Lady Maslam, but when Arthur rushes to the airport this proves to be a misunderstanding - Charles has not boarded Lady Maslam's plane and returns home with Arthur to propose to Mimi. Arthur discovers that - although Spinner's advice has ruined Charles' scheme - Spinner has in fact managed to avoid the crash himself and make Arthur another £250,000. Arthur reconciles with Eve and makes plans to move back to their old house and help Oswald, Mary and Charles to more stable and healthy homes and jobs. He then returns to work and anonymously donates the new £250,000 to the Treasury under the guise of a massive repayment of back-taxes.

==Cast==
(in credits order)
{{div col begin}}
* [[Cecil Parker]] as Arthur Prohack
* [[Glynis Johns]] as Mimi Warburton
* [[Hermione Baddeley]] as Eve Prohack
* [[Dirk Bogarde]] as Charles Prohack
* [[Sheila Sim]] as Mary Prohack
* [[Heather Thatcher]] as Lady Maslam
* Frances Waring as Nursie
* [[Charles Goldner]] as Polish Man Servant
* [[Campbell Cotts]] as Sir Paul Spinner
* [[Denholm Elliott]] as Oswald Morfrey
* [[Russell Waters]] as Cartwright
* [[Henry Edwards (actor)|Henry Edwards]] as Sir Digby Bunce
* [[Frederick Valk]] as Dr. Viega
* [[James Hayter (actor)|James Hayter]] as Carrell Quire
* [[Bryan Forbes]] as Tony
* [[Jon Pertwee]] as Plover
* [[Ada Reeve]] as Mrs. Griggs
* [[Judith Furse]] as Laura Postern
* [[Frederick Leister]] as The Director General
* [[Elwyn Brook-Jones]] as Benny Erivangian
* [[Eric Berry (actor)|Eric Berry]] as Tailor's Assistant (uncredited)
* Janet Burnell as Mr. Prohack's personal assistant (uncredited)
* [[Ian Carmichael]] as Hat Salesman (uncredited)
* [[Anne Gunning]] as Actress (uncredited)
* Humphrey Heathcote as Turkish Bath Attendant (uncredited)
* Sam Lysons as Club Porter (uncredited)
* Desmond Newling as Pageboy (uncredited)
* [[Lloyd Pearson]] as Mr. Bishop (uncredited)
* Charles Perry as Butler (uncredited)
* [[Edward Stanelli|Stanelli]] as Orchestra Leader (uncredited)
* [[Jerry Verno]] as Taxi Driver (uncredited)
{{div col end}}

==Critical reception==
*[[The New York Times]] said, " it's an [[Arnold Bennett]] novel "modernized"—and it shows its age in this translation."<ref>{{cite web|last=Crowther |first=Bosley |url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9B0CEFDA1038E532A25756C1A9619C946192D6CF |title=Movie Review - Dear Mr Prohack - THE SCREEN; Austerity Is Dull |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=1950-07-15 |accessdate=2014-03-12}}</ref>
*[[TV Guide]] said, " Mediocre comedy with an excellent cast, including [[Denholm Elliott]] in his debut."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://movies.tvguide.com/dear-mr-prohack/review/112539#comments |title=Dear Mr. Prohack Review |publisher=Movies.tvguide.com |date= |accessdate=2014-03-12}}</ref>
*Britmovie wrote, "[[Cecil Parker]] gives one of his best performances replicating his stage role."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.britmovie.co.uk/films/Dear-Mr-Prohack_1949 |title=Dear Mr Prohack 1949 | Britmovie | Home of British Films |publisher=Britmovie |date= |accessdate=2014-03-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222134613/http://www.britmovie.co.uk/films/Dear-Mr-Prohack_1949 |archive-date=22 February 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==References==
<references/>

==External links==
*{{IMDb title|0041285}}

{{Thornton Freeland}}

[[Category:1949 films]]
[[Category:Films directed by Thornton Freeland]]
[[Category:1949 comedy films]]
[[Category:British comedy films]]
[[Category:Films shot at Pinewood Studios]]
[[Category:Films produced by Ian Dalrymple]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Ian Dalrymple]]
[[Category:Films set in London]]
[[Category:Films based on works by Arnold Bennett]]
[[Category:British black-and-white films]]
[[Category:1940s English-language films]]
[[Category:1940s British films]]

Dear Mr. Prohack - Revision history

Kurt at 00:00, 13 March 2023

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